Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter(UART) is a piece of computer hardware that translates data between parallel and serial forms. It is an integrated circuit used for serial communications that contains a receiver (serial-to-parallel converter) and a transmitter (parallel-to-serial converter), each clocked separately. Universal Asynchronous Receiver / Transmitters are commonly included in microcontrollers and are designed to be used for several applications. UARTs are used for devices including GPS units, modems, wireless communication and Bluetooth modules, amongst many other applications. For more details refer the link below:

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Revision as of 05:34, 16 May 2013

The table below describes the various different expansion interfaces on the Minnowboard:

Contents

+5V Power

This is the primary input from the external power jack!

General Purpose Input/Output

These are GPIOs that can be used for basic input and output.

CAN

Controller Area Network(CAN), or as it is commonly known, CAN-bus, is a communication protocol originally designed for automotive applications. It is an asynchronous serial bus network that connects devices, sensors and actuators for control applications. CAN is now standardized in ISO 11898, ISO 16845 and SAE J1939 for automotive, industrial and general embedded communications. CAN-bus is now commonly employed not only in automotive and aerospace applications but also in medical equipment. For more information, please refer the links below:

PCIe

PCI Express (PCIe or PCI-E) is a high-speed, serial computer expansion bus standard that connects a computer with its attached peripherals. PCI Express was developed by Intel Corp. in 2004 to replace the peripheral component interconnect (PCI) and PCI-X expansion buses, along with the accelerated graphics port (AGP) graphics card interface. Today, PCI Express is the primary connection method for most video cards to modern computers. For more information refer the link below:

GND

GND or Ground is simply a reference voltage level(called zero potential or ground potential) against which all other voltages in a system are established and measured.

LVDS

Low-voltage differential signalling or commonly abbreviated as LVDS, was introduced in the mid-1990’s and is very popular in computers, where it forms part of very high-speed networks and computer buses. It is a high-speed digital interface that is used for several applications that require high noise immunity and low power consumption for high data rates. LVDS are designed to be used for applications including flat panel displays that use an LVDS connection to the graphics card as well as for high data transmission in printers, digital copiers and cell phones.LVDS is also used in commercial and military applications. For more information refer the link below:

SDIO

A SDIO (Secure Digital Input Output) card is an extension of the SD(Secure Digital) card specification to cover the I/O functions. Host devices that support SDIO can use the SD slot to support GPS receivers, modems, barcode readers, FM radio tuners, TV tuners, RFID readers, digital cameras, and interfaces to Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Ethernet, and IrDA.The SDIO card includes all the firmware and software needed to operate the peripheral that’s integrated into the SDIO card. For more details refer the link below:

HDA

The Intel High Definition Audio(HDA) Specification describes an architecture and infrastructure to support high-quality audio implementations for PCs. Intel High Definition Audio is capable of playing back more channels at higher quality than previous integrated audio formats. In addition, Intel High Definition Audio has the technology needed to support the latest and greatest audio content. For more details refer the link below:

SMB

The System Management Bus is a two-wire interface and is used in personal computers and servers for low-speed system management communications. It uses I2C as its backbone. The SMbus is also used to communicate between ICs, Temperature Sensors and batteries.

UART

Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter(UART) is a piece of computer hardware that translates data between parallel and serial forms. It is an integrated circuit used for serial communications that contains a receiver (serial-to-parallel converter) and a transmitter (parallel-to-serial converter), each clocked separately. Universal Asynchronous Receiver / Transmitters are commonly included in microcontrollers and are designed to be used for several applications. UARTs are used for devices including GPS units, modems, wireless communication and Bluetooth modules, amongst many other applications. For more details refer the link below: